Networking → Re: Modem/Router two-in-one keeps locking randomly.

Check what DNS servers your router is using and try different ones. Example, if using two from your ISP try changing the first one to 8.8.8.8 (Google) or 208.67.222.222 (OpenDNS) and see if the problem goes away.

Also like shdesigns alludes to, it could be a problem with your PC. Have you tried a second PC while the problem is occurring?

How do I check which DNS and how do I set? DDNS is currently disabled in the router config.

Trying to diagnose and/or isloate the issue:
- Old PC ethernet works fine (desktop, 2006)
- Newer PC (laptop, 2011) wifi will randomly lock up while browsing
- Newer PC ethernet will randomly lock up while browsing
- Newer PC using docking station ethernet will randomly lock up while browsing
- Newest PC (laptop, 2014) using docking station ethernet will randomly lock up while browsing
- Newest PC wifi will not randomly lock up while browsing and appears to work just fine
- Newest PC ethernet will randomly lock up while browsing
- And after all that, going back to old PC ethernet, it works fine

So I have three systems of varying ages + docking station at my disposal, and all are using intel drivers. My goal is to have the newer PC working via ethernet through the docking station

Since you are having the same problem wireless or wired EXCEPT with one PC then I that is where I would start looking, that is we need to compare some of the values in the working machine to those that are having problems.

First DDNS and DNS are two entirely different animals.
DNS is used to do URL names to IP address lookups

DDNS is used to identify a URL assigned (tied) to your routers WAN port. If/when your WAN port IP changes it updates the place you have a URL registered so that the internet knows what your new IP address is. This has nothing to do with your PC's ability to go out into the internet and surf or play games as it only provides limited access to inbound connections to your router. At this time that is not a consideration and usually is disabled for typical home only use.

The fact that you have one computer that works all the time normally rules out a a DNS issue at the router level but still needs to be checked at the PC level.

Here is one way to check what the DNS settings and other IP settings are on a PC.

On the PC that works every time...
Open a command window
In the black windows type ipconfig /all

That will give you a list of the various IP settings for that PC.
Look for IPv4 address
Default Gateway
DHCP Server
DNS Servers

Go to one of the other computers that connects the same way, wired or wireless as the good machine and do the same test.

The Default Gateway, DHCP Server and DNS Servers values should all match.

The IPv4 address will be different for each computer but should all be in the same range, like all 192.168.1.xxx or what ever but normally only the xxx value will be different for each computer.

One value many people are using for DNS servers is 8.8.8.8 (google) or 208.67.222.222 (OpenDNS) These can be set in the router or the individual PC's themselves at the IPv4 interface level.

I'm about out of ideas on this one. If you did not have one PC working fine every time I'd think it would be the router or the ISP connection. The fact that the same PC is good no matter what tends to rule out the router.

About the only thing left I can think of to try is to switch the Ethernet cables on the back of the router switching the known good PC with one of the others and see if the good PC remains working or not.